Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero
by Complexity and Passion
Summary: AU Fear of the Twilight Realm has fallen on the provinces of Hyrule. As a young man prepares for a long journey to bring back the light, other powers awaken from a long slumber and the rumblings of a war with an old enemy spread.
1. Whispers of Death

Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero

**Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero**

**By: ComplexityAndPassion**

Summary: AU Fear of the Twilight Realm has fallen on the provinces of Hyrule. As a young man prepares for a long journey to bring back the light, other powers awaken from a long slumber and the rumblings of a war with an ancient enemy spread.

Author's Note: This is an AU version of LoZ: TP. There will be quite a few OC's based on the nameless characters that wander about the towns in the game. Some of the plot will change, and the world will be bigger than it is in the game. This fic is rated for violence and gore.

Timeline: I have only completed a small number of the LoZ games and so I shall only include a few of them in the timeline to simplify things. The order will be such as the following:

1. Ocarina of Time

2. Majora's Mask

3. Twilight Princess

4. The Wind Waker

This is just for your information so you're not too confused when the various characters are talking about the Legend of the Hero. Obviously, the Wind Waker will not be referred to, since it is post-Twilight Princess.

Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of any of the LoZ names, characters, items, etc. Holy Nintendo, God of Games, does. –bows respectfully to said God- I simply own the OC's and some of the plot twists in the story. This applies to this entire fanfic…

Please R&R!!

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Chapter 1: Whispers of Death

She stumbled as she ran, her torn and tattered green cloak flying behind her. The woman did not have much time – the moblins had followed her into the forest, their snarls and cries spreading fear through her entire body. Her strong head start was slowly being closed up as fatigue began to seep through her limbs. But the woman _had_ to go on.

Her baby's life depended on it.

The cool night air stung her lungs as the woman ran as fast as she could down the dirt path, following it through a rather large clearing, up a small hill, and through a narrow pass. In better circumstances, she would've spent days exploring the forest and it's natural beauty; now she ignored her surroundings as she sprinted across the wooden hanging bridge that spanned over the giant abyss, skidding to a stop at the shut gates covered in green moss and vines.

"Goddesses help us," she muttered in her soft voice, placing her sleeping baby on the ground for a few seconds. The child did not notice – he was sleeping soundly in a warm green blanket, wrapped tightly against the night chill. The woman's fingers fumbled as she pulled out a pin from her hair, a dirty blonde color in the pale moon's light. She quickly picked the lock on the gate, gently lifted her son, and, cradling him against her breast, bolted through the now-open gate, following the path once more.

She could now hear the moblins catching up from behind, their foul reek tainting the pure forest air. She sprinted through another clearing, up one more little hill, and through a dark hollow, the ground and trees rising on either side of her. She had now reached the largest clearing yet, set on the edge of a valley. A decent sized house was built into a great tree that grew at one edge of the clearing, facing a second path that led down into the little village of this valley – Ordon Village, home of the Ordonians, close cousins of the Hylia. A low wooden gate stood across that path, blocking the way in for anyone on foot with a burden. The Hylian woman was exhausted to the core, but she couldn't give up now; the woman hauled herself over the wood, clutching tightly to her son. The moblins had followed her into the clearing; they screeched and yelled their joy at finding the Hylian woman and her child. They scuttled to catch her as she ran into the village, yelling at the top of her voice, "Help us! Moblins! Help us!"

Rusl, the son of the village swordsmaster, could not sleep that night. Fortune had smiled on the Hylian woman and her baby when she ran up to Rusl's family's door, banging on the wood for help. Rusl heard the insistent banging and yelling. He snatched up his deceased father's blade and bolted to the front door, yanking it open just as one of the moblins had grabbed a hold of the Hylian woman. Rusl hacked the monster's arm off, followed by the brute's head. The other moblins were stunned for a moment, giving Rusl enough time to shove the woman into his home and slam the door. He gave a yell as he lunged at the moblins, slashing and hacking just as his father had taught him years ago. There weren't very many, and in a few minutes the brutes were lying dead in the lane, black blood splattered everywhere.

The entire village was awake now, thanks to the noise that had been going on outside. The elected mayor, Bo, came running down the lane and across the small stream up to Rusl's house, staring in horror at what he found. Rusl had rushed inside soon after killing the monsters to check on the woman, who was lying unconscious on the floor of his living room. The baby boy wriggled on the floor, wailing his young lungs out. Bo ran in, picking up the baby boy and trying to calm him as Rusl tried to help the woman on the floor.

"Please…" she begged, her life force fading. She looked Rusl directly in the eyes as best she could. "Please protect… my son…"

"He is safe here, Hylian lady," Rusl told her. Suddenly she gripped Rusl's hand with her own, her blue eyes piercing him to the core.

"His name… is Link…"

And with those last words, the Hylian woman passed into the next world.

X

The sun was rising over the vast northern plains of Hyrule, specifically the Eldin Province. The small army that defended Hyrule and its people, the Hylia, were weary. They had been fighting off the moblin army since the previous day, and now they were not so sure if they could hold out.

Prince Ephesus Kalian Corian Hyrule sat astride his proud white stallion at the head of the column, his royal blade drawn and glinting in the rising sun's rays. He surveyed the forces of monsters assorted at the ridge of the hill in front of them, his fierce sapphire eyes burning with the wisdom and strength of the Royal Family. His father, the King, had been taken by sickness a mere day ago, and due to the attacks by the moblins the prince had not been crowned king. Behind the army, in the high-walled Hyrule Castle Town, lay the magnificent Hyrule Castle, where an assortment of guards and nurses were watching over Prince Zarian Kalian Corian Hyrule, Ephesus's three-year-old son, and Princess Zelda Kalian Hyrule, Ephesus's two-year-old daughter.

"My lord, what are we going to do?" a stern captain asked Ephesus. His name was Taeron Silivri, and he was Ephesus's second most loyal knight. The other was named Nilaldar Tar-Calion, a descendent of the old knights.

"We charge head on once the sun had fully risen," Ephesus answered Taeron, keeping his horse in check. All the steeds were nervous at being so close to the moblins, their movements restless. Ephesus looked at Taeron, giving him a hard look. "Prepare the men."

The sun rose fully as the men lined up, facing down their fears and doubts. Ephesus was at the head, waiting for the right moment to charge forward into almost certain death. He only hoped that Nilaldar would come from the north in time to save what was left of the defending soldiers. Ephesus raised his sword – a loud horn was sounded… And then they charged.

Men yelling, horses whinnying, hooves pounding like a mad thunderstorm, blades glinting in the morning light, and the golden hair of Ephesus flying in the wind. The moblins kept a tight line; their spears, pikes, and bows ready to rip into the on-coming horsemen. The monsters had no chance. The front line of charging horses broke through easily, trampling any moblin that got in the way. Soon blood was being shed in every direction, some of it red Hylian blood, and some of it black moblin blood. The bloodshed did not last long, however, before Ephesus and his men were being pushed back; there were simply too many moblins to fight off.

"My lord! We must turn back!" Taeron yelled over the noise, chopping off a moblin's head as he struggled to keep his horse in control. Ephesus gave one last look at the enemy and then nodded, turning his stallion and galloping away back to the bridge that led to the town. Taeron yelled out retreat to all who could hear, and soon the moblins were screeching in triumph as they ran on the heels of their enemies.

But it was not over.

Ephesus heard the army before he ever saw it – the noise of the one thousand mounted horsemen sounded as though Farore herself had brought the mighty thunderclouds of the foreign lands down upon Hyrule. At the top of the great hill of the northern plains, Ephesus and a few others stopped their horses and turned to see what had happened.

A glorious white Hylian warhorse was charging from across the ancient stone bridge of Eldin at the other end of the plains, it's rider's blade raised high in the air. Ephesus's enhanced sight enabled him to see the rider's face from so far away – the rider's emerald green tunic was lined with the most beautiful golden armor, the metal gleaming in the sun. His blade, made of rare emerald-steel, glowed like a weapon made by the Goddesses themselves. His vicious face was set in one of anger and revenge; his short golden hair was flown back as the wind swept past the rider.

This was Nilaldar.

A great shout of joy and relief went up from the men as Nilaldar and his men annihilated the moblins forces from the rear, only a few escaping and retreating to the northern lands from whence they came. They ran from the powerful Hylian warriors, screeching in fright and dismay.

It would be a battle that would be carried down through the generations in song.

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	2. Across the Fields

Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero

**Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero**

**By: C&P**

Author's Note: Finally… an update. I guess high school really is _that_ demanding and time-consuming. BTW, I have edited the previous chapter… So if you read this before I did, please go back and re-read it. There are some changes and they might play a larger role later on.

R&R please. 3

BTW – when anyone is speaking in the Twili language, the speech will have / at either end. For example, "/Jack and Jill went up the hill./" Also, I'm making Hylian the "English" of this story.

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Chapter 2: Across the Fields

_He was standing in the Ordonian spring, listening to Illia's wishes for him to have a safe journey to Hyrule to deliver the Ordon sword. He didn't know why she was so worried; he was more than capable of handling any monsters on the road. Besides, it was only a day's ride away from the Faron and Ordon woods._

_Epona gave a loud whinny all of a sudden, and in the next moment the gate to the spring burst apart, a wild boar charging straight at the humans, moblins astride the animal. The picture began to fade…_

_Now he was sitting in a dark cell, a shackle on his left leg… Somehow, he'd become a wolf. A second later he was staring in the face of some sort of she-imp, a strange mask covering the upper part of her face, except for her right eye. She started speaking in a strange language that he'd never heard in his entire life, and yet he understood every word she spoke to him…_

_He spun his sword around, hacking and slashing at the giant spider in front of him; it's front legs blocking most of his attacks. With a quick back flip, he managed to gain enough distance between himself and the monster, and with one good throw, his sword flew through the air, landing with a sickening thud into the spider's head…_

_The Twilight creature was squeezing its massive hand around his throat; he kicked and struggled, attempting to break free of the brute's grip. His vision began to falter as he felt the life draining away…_

Link sat up with a yelp, sweat falling down his face, blue eyes wide in terror. He looked around at his surroundings, his heart pounding inside his ribcage. Link was lying on his pile of blankets and pillows, situated on the top landing of his tree-home. To his right was the only window of the dwelling, the moon's light filtering through the opening. The small platform had a sturdy rail and a ladder that led down to the next landing, where Link's book/memento shelf rested, pictures hanging above it on the wall. The ladder there led down to the ground floor of the house; there was a fireplace, a small table for two, a small couch, a few shelves, a couple barrels, and a hole that led down into the basement, where Link stored his winter items and extra tools in the never-ending darkness of the base of the tree.

The Hylian continued to listen to the night sounds of the Ordon Forest that ringed one side of the clearing he lived in; he could just barely hear the trickle of water coming from the village that lay deeper down in the valley. Slowly his heart calmed, returning to its normal rate as Link realized that he'd only been dreaming. How much time had passed since Illia and the others were taken? Three days? Four days? He didn't have a clear idea of how long he'd been trapped in the Twilight (maybe a day or so), and then it'd taken him at least a day to clear out the Forest Temple of all the dark creatures. In a brief flash of memory Link saw the great monster of Twilight that he had fought deep in the temple burst into pieces, reforming as the Fused Shadow that the she-imp, Midna, had been searching for. Neither Midna nor the light spirits Ordona or Faron had explained to Link what exactly was the Fused Shadow, other than that it was a dark power that he would need to take on the king of the shadows.

Fully awake now, Link got up and headed down the ladder to the ground floor below. Silently he fumbled in the dark, finally locating his lantern and lighting it. Using its bright glow he managed to get firewood into the fireplace. Once he had a fire going Link sought out some dried meat. Soon he had a soup going, the pieces of meat floating in the mixture. It was only a few hours before sunrise, but Link was ready to move on in search of the village's children. Bo, the mayor, was missing; supposedly he'd gone looking for the children the day before and hadn't returned. Link would've asked Rusl to accompany him, but two things stopped that idea; one, Rusl was badly wounded from trying to defend the village from the moblins that had invaded and taken the children. And two, Link was going to have to pass through the Twilight to find the children, and he couldn't take Rusl with him – the man would pass into a spirit, unable to see or hear Link, and therefore lost.

"/Why up so early?/" a strange voice asked suddenly. Link gave out a yelp, falling back in surprise. A twisted giggled sounded from all around; a second later Link's shadow moved, altered, and transformed into Midna's shadow-form, her image reaching to him from within the Twilight. The male shot her a dark glare as he sat up properly, wondering why on earth was she bothering him.

"/You're funny sometimes, you know that?/" Midna asked him in a cheerful voice, her strange language flowing from her lips. Why Link understood the language, he had no idea, and neither did Midna apparently.

Midna floated around Link's home, her eyes wandering around as she examined the objects. Link watched her in silence, once again choosing not to speak. He hardly ever spoke to anyone, preferring silence and actions.

"/I thought that you'd want to spend more time in your home before you leave it for a long time, if not forever/" the mysterious she-imp commented, turning back to Link. "/But here you are, wide awake and preparing to leave before your precious sun even peeks at the horizon./"

Link studiously ignored the female, tending to his food. He ate in silence as Midna watched him carefully, a slight smirk on her face. He didn't understand it, but everything Link did seemed to amuse the she-imp. Link didn't care much for Midna, but he needed her help to get into the Twilight and find the Tears of Light that would restore each guardian spirit of the provinces of Hyrule. Midna hadn't explicitly said it, but Link figured that she needed his help in retrieving the Fused Shadows; it was obvious Midna couldn't get them herself.

Finishing his food and cleaning up, Link gave Midna a pointed look and the she-imp disappeared back into his shadow. The Hylian quickly changed into his Hero's Clothes - the green tunic, off-white leggings, bronze chain mail, brown greaves and bracers, and the green hat. Link strapped his Ordonian sword and shield on, attaching his magical pouch to his leather belt at the last. Finally he slipped his brown boots on, wiggling his toes experimentally. He was ready.

As quietly as he could, Link slipped out his home, closing the door behind him and climbing down the ladder to the ground. The sun was just barely rising, its faint glow lighting up the tops of the trees. Giving one last glance at the path that led down into Ordon Village, Link turned and followed the other path, the one that lead into the forest.

The sun rose higher and higher as Link jogged along the familiar path, his breathing light and regular, muscles flowing with ease. Link was physically in perfect condition; herding and tending to the village's goats all day had strengthened his muscles over the years, along with the training he had occasionally done with Rusl. He was a little over average height, and around the age of manhood. His blonde-brown hair was always messy, parts of it falling into his blue eyes; the eyes of his mother, Rusl had told him a few times.

Link knew that Rusl's family had taken him in since he was a tiny babe; he had been told the story of how his mother had come running into the village, chased by moblins until she died from exhaustion and terror. The only information she'd given had been her son's name; Rusl and Bo, present at the time, assumed Link to be about a year old or so, so they decided that exactly one week before his mother's death would've been Link's first birthday. This information had bothered Link at first, when he had first come into his teen years; since then he had learned to deal with it. The only thing that had ever set him apart from the Ordonians had been his pointed ears and heightened senses, features that he had inherited from his Hylian mother.

Link reflected on all of this as he ran through the Ordon Forest and into Faron Forest. He listened to his own breathing and footfalls as the creatures of the forest spoke to him. Link had always been good with animals, understanding them better than people usually. He felt a pang of sadness as his thoughts drifted to his faithful horse, Epona. No one in the village knew what had happened to her during the moblins' assault on the forest and the village, and Link missed her terribly. He silently prayed to the goddess Farore that Epona was safe somewhere, and that he would find her soon.

X

Harsh sunlight beat down on the southern Hyrule Field, heating the very dirt road that lead from the fringes of Faron Forest and into other parts of the land. Link stood in the shade of the two great trees that stood on either side of the road at the end of the forest, his eyes scanning the land in front of him. For quite a ways there was only grassland, with gently rolling hills, most of them sloping towards the right, creating a small vale to the left of the main road. In the distance Link could spy a great rise where some trees grew; a cliff was situated on the left side, with more trees growing down below. Of course, the only reason he could see this was because of the gifted Hylian sight that he had inherited.

A day's ride on this road would lead directly to the pass that led to Hyrule Castle Town; that's what Bo and Rusl had told him before all this madness had begun. On foot, it was about two days. Now Link's path was to the east, to the Eldin Province. He had no knowledge of the land of Eldin, save for that it was home to the Gorons, a race of rock-dwellers that mined Death Mountain. Link stood for some time in silence as the sun rose on the grasslands, contemplating on how to get to the east. He could follow the north road and hope that there was an eastward-bound route to follow at some point. It was either that or take the open grasslands without any guide except for the sun's position. He had only brought enough supplies in his magical pouch for two, maybe three, days; after that he would have to hunt for food and water.

Midna's shadow form suddenly appeared beside Link, her arms crossed. "/What's taking so long?/" she demanded of him, her tone slightly agitated. "/You do know which way is east, right?/"

Link ignored her comments and began walking down the road north; his eyes and ears alert for any sign of life other than his own.

"Hey wait up!" Midna called, slipping into Hylian in her haste to follow Link. "/You do know that you're going to the wrong way, right?/"

"The road's safer," was all Link said, his voice low and quiet and he kept up a brisk pace. He would have to hurry to reach Eldin if he wanted his supplies to last until he could pass into the Twilight safely.

"/Hylians./" Link looked at Midna, his face puzzled. She gave one of her dramatic sighs in response; "/Always doing what they think is right. How can you even be sure there is an eastern road to Eldin that hooks up with this one?/"

Link just gave her a shrug in response, his expression neutral. Midna gave another sigh and disappeared into Link's shadow once more. Left alone with his own thoughts, Link began to watch the countryside as he continued on, enjoying the natural beauty all around him. He was finally traveling through Hyrule, and though circumstances were not ideal, he planned to benefit from every minute of it. The silence of the grasslands didn't bother him in the slightest; instead, he listened to the sounds of the birds and small rodents, and the breeze in the trees. Link didn't hum or whistle any tune; he much preferred the sound of nature to any man-made creation.

The entire day passed in this fashion as Link strode through the rolling land, stopping only twice for rest and water. At dusk he had neared the end of the grasslands; he'd made better time than he had thought. He hadn't seen anyone other than himself on the road all day; nor had any monsters shown their faces. He quickly found a spot to camp out for the night under the cover of a rather large hill, downwind and all that. It wasn't as sheltered as he had hoped, but he didn't like traveling on in the dark either. The emptiness of the field disturbed Link quite a bit; for an area that had just come out of the control of the mysterious Twilight, it was rather deserted. He wondered if all the Hylia had hidden away in the villages and towns to the north and east.

"Midna?" he called softly, his voice barely carrying more than five feet. Within a few seconds the she-imp appeared, her face cast in a grin.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What can you tell me about the Twilight?" the Hylian asked quietly, feeling awkward at having to speak. Even in Ordon, no one had expected any more from him than a nod or a smile. His body language had always said everything for him; now he was forced to use his voice thanks to Midna and her obnoxious, bossy ways.

"That depends on what you want to know," she replied teasingly, bouncing around through the air for a moment. Link didn't respond to her words, lost in thought. He should ask her who this "king of shadows" was, or who she herself was. Princess Zelda had obviously known Midna rather well when Link had escaped from imprisonment in the castle dungeons and had met the Princess.

"What exactly… is it?" Link finally asked. He didn't think that Midna would trust him with the whole truth just yet, especially after the way she'd skirted telling Link what exactly the Fused Shadows were. All the light spirits had said was that they were dark powers bound years and years ago…

"Hm. That's a hard one." Midna's voice sounded strange in Hylian; Link had already grown used to her speaking her own language. "We have a way of explaining it in Twili that makes sense, but you probably wouldn't be able to make sense of it. It is rather bizarre how you can understand my language though." She smirked at the end at the male.

"Twili… that's your language?"

"Yes."

"So your kind… The Twili?"

Midna didn't respond; she kept her eyes on the northern horizon where the wall of Twilight was just somewhat visible now. "/Get some rest/" she told him. "/You've got a long way to go yet./" She then disappeared before Link could say another word.

_This is getting stranger and stranger by the day,_ the Hylian thought to himself as he ate a small, cold meal, not daring to light a fire. He then lay back against the rising ground and fell quickly asleep, dreaming of Ordon and her people.

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	3. Catching the Scent

**Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero**

**By: C&P**

Author's Note: So… Finished my first year of college. =D Meaning I can finally get around to working on my fanfictions. With commitment. D I apologize for the delay… D: Disclaimer from earlier chapters included~ (I don't feel like writing it out XD).

Also, those of you who have reviewed – THANKS! =D I appreciate the effort.

I'm lazy like whoa when it comes to character descriptions right now. I apologize in advance. I also managed to download videos of the entire game (basically a guide of sorts), so the dialogue in certain parts will be much more accurate to the game.

Many thanks to Rokan for beta-ing this! =DDDD

R&R please.

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Chapter 3: Catching the Scent

It was dark in the village of Kakariko, as it had been for nearly a week. There was no change in the weather, nor the time of day; the darkness outside had seen to that. Grotesque creatures roamed the main road of the village, ransacking a few buildings. Many of the inhabitants had either been killed or gone missing during the attack of the monsters. The survivors had either fled or holed themselves up in the one building that was still safe – the shaman's home at the southern end of the village.

"Ugh, I can't take it anymore!" Barnes, the bomb-maker of the village, cried out in frustration. The various occupants of the room looked at him. "I mean, why hasn't the Hylian Guard come to help us? This is getting ridiculous!"

"Patience is a virtue, Barnes," Renado, the shaman, replied calmly. His daughter Luda stood nearby, along with four children that the Bulblins had dumped in Kakariko just a few days ago. They had come from Ordon Village to the south, apparently.

Barnes didn't seem to agree with Renado; he began his muttering and grumbling again as he sulked by the stairs that led up to the semi-circle platform that spanned half the room. The group sat in silence for a long while, as they often had the past week. Renado tried to keep the children's minds busy with games or stories, but it was not enough to fill the long hours between waking and sleeping.

About an hour later the door opened and shut quickly, admitting only one person. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the new arrival, who had a heavy sack slung over her shoulder. She was panting and leaning heavily against the door.

"Where is Sam?" Renado asked, standing and walking over to assist the newcomer. The female glanced around as she caught her breath, letting the sack slide to the floor.

"They caught him in the middle of the roadway," she said quietly, trying not to alarm the children. "Two of those things pounced on him while the third chased me down the road." Renado's face was saddened at the news of another loss of life to the dark beasts outside. Now they only had Seia (the one who had just arrived) to make food runs. She was also the only fighter remaining in the village; Renado's skills lay with healing and history, Barnes' with bombs and other explosives. No one else was old enough or strong enough to fight any type of beast.

"Get some rest," he told Seia with a sigh, taking the sack and opening it as he made his way over to their small pile of supplies. Most of it was food, blankets, or firewood. There were a couple of books as well on the history and legends of Hyrule, which he read to the Ordonian children when he didn't recite from memory. Many times he wondered to himself if a hero like the ones in the stories would come to save them.

X

Link awoke in the morning just a few minutes before the sun was due to rise; he was surprised that he hadn't froze all night sleeping outside, but he supposed that the summer weather and his clothes were warm enough. He ate some fruit and drank from his waterskin as the sun rose slowly; Link was surprised that Midna hadn't bothered him once. Thankful for the silence, he got up and resumed his journey northward, hoping that an eastern road would soon meet his path. He thought to himself that maybe he should've asked one of the villagers the best way to the Eldin Province before taking off.

Link's luck held out – he reached the top of the tallest hill in the southern Hylian fields long before noon. The vale that he had spied upon the previous day was now just mere feet to his left, a rise to his right with a cluster of trees growing atop it. The road continued on northward over a short wooden bridge, beneath which was a rather large, shallow pond. Link wasn't at all shocked to see the wall of Twilight in the distance, running from the ground up into the sky. And to Link's right, parallel to a wooden fence and a line of trees, was the eastern road he'd been hoping to find.

The Hylian smiled to himself, knowing that he'd proven Midna wrong – a very satisfying feeling. Praying that he would be without her for a while longer, Link sat in the shade of the nearest tree and ate a bit more of his food, drinking his water sparingly. He didn't know how far the Eldin Province was now, but it couldn't be very far down the road. He vaguely remembered the map in Mayor Bo's home back in Ordon from the few times he'd seen it; there was a pass on the eastern road that was the only entrance to Eldin from the south.

Finally Link set out again, walking briskly and enjoying the midmorning sun. After a short time he emerged from the shaded lane and into the plains again; now he could spy in the distance the pass he would have to travel through. Beyond it the wall of Twilight stood stark against the Hylian landscape. Link figured that by mid-afternoon he'd reach the point where he would have to ask Midna for help to cross over into the shadow world.

The silence on the fields began to disturb Link the closer he got to his destination; he credited it to the presence of the dark realm, but animals were not transformed by the Twilight. Perhaps it was the creatures that dwelled in the darkness that bothered the animals, but Link couldn't be sure. He barely saw two birds as he walked.

Link's stomach began to turn and knot itself as he drew nearer and nearer to the Twilight wall; the light began to darken and the scenery began to take on strange shapes and figures. He felt the sudden chill as he reached the mouth of the pass; he paused for a few moments to calm himself and make sure that he was ready. Link remained silent as he pushed through the pass, eyes and ears alert needlessly – he doubted anything of his world wanted to go near the wall of darkness.

"/You ready~?/" Midna's taunting voice echoed against the sides of the pass. Her shadow formed in front of Link; he attempted to ignore her as he stared at the golden designs on the impenetrable wall before him.

"/Helloooo~? Mr. Hero! … LINK!/" The blonde male jumped into alertness from Midna's voice. She rolled her eyes and floated over to the wall, disappearing within it. A split second later the orange-gold-black hand reached out and snatched Link up, yanking him through the wall as he yelped in surprise. Apparently he hadn't been quite ready.

Link grunted as Midna dropped him on his feet in the Twilight; before he had stumbled three feet, he felt the power of the gods activate. His left hand glowed with a triangle, and then he felt his sternum jerked forward. Link's body transformed fully as he hit the ground on all fours. The pain Link had felt the first time he'd transformed into a wolf was quite a bit less this time, but he still felt awkward. He shook his head a few times to get used to this form again; he growled when the familiar she-imp dropped onto his back in her riding spot.

"/That's a good boy! Now, you need to listen to what I say from now on!/" Midna told Link, smacking his sides as she reminded him of the deal they'd made back in Ordon. Link would help Midna find the Fused Shadows and she would help him traverse through the Twilight to return the Spirits of Light their power and find his friends. Link rolled his eyes at Midna, unable to speak now (not that he minded).

"/Ahhh, look! How lovely! The black clouds of Twilight are so fetching today…/" the she-imp went on, gazing around at the surrounding area. "/I feel so much more at ease here… And you look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes, anyway./" Link snorted the best he could, glancing at her over his shoulder. _Good goddesses she's strange_, he thought to himself.

"Don't you give me that look!" Midna scowled, slipping into Link's language briefly. "If you want to save Hyrule we should get going! Eee hee!" She gave Link's sides a good kick with her heels like she would a horse; Link jumped up a bit, growling at her from deep within his throat. The only response he got was that annoying cackle as Midna settled into her sitting place. Link sighed and shook his head, turning his attention back to the road in front of him.

There wasn't much of the pass into the Eldin Province left; Link was a fast sprinter just as much on four legs as on two, so the time passed quickly before they came to the end of the pass. Link stopped, staring at the item in front of him; it was somewhat difficult to see in the Twilight's dark, foggy air, swarming with black particles. He finally recognized the item – it was the wooden practice sword Rusl had made him days ago, snapped in two and left in the middle of the road. Link sniffed the item; he now had proof that the bulblins had brought the children this way after attacking Ordon.

"/See, isn't being a wolf more convenient? Eee hee!/" Midna cackled, a dark smirk on her face. Link felt the urge to snap at her with his fangs but knew better than to do so. Ignoring Midna as she began to hum another one of her strange tunes, he focused on his senses. He could strongly smell the children now, and it was easy to follow the trace. He took off at an eager run, muscles flowing as he ripped down the road. Link didn't pay any attention to his settings, focusing only on finding where his friends had been taken to.

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	4. Link will save us!

**Twilight Princess: Footsteps of a Hero**

**By: C&P**

Author's Note: Fourth chapter. Disclaimer included! I got a copy of the special edition guide to TP, so now I will be able to correctly name many of the enemies that Link fights in the game.

Many thanks to Rokan for helping me on this~

R&R please.

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Chapter 4: Link will save us!

Link was not pleased. At all.

He'd been busy following the scent of the Ordonian children, not paying much attention to where he was exactly going, when he'd sprinted right into the middle of three of the most annoying Twilight creatures he'd met yet – Twilit Messengers. They were huge, and when one was left standing alone it would wail and screech, reviving the other two. Once again, Link had to rely on Midna, unwillingly, to kill all three of them before the last one could revive the others. Their remains formed a warp portal in the sky above, but Link hadn't paid much attention to that. He'd gone straight on, hoping he'd be able to find his friends.

The southern plains of the Eldin Province were split in two by the great chasm that snaked its way through various parts of Hyrule. There was a wooden fence and bridge at the chasm, the eastern road continuing on the other side. Unfortunately for Link, the bridge was gone. Not smashed or burned, but gone – as if it had never existed.

"/What's this?!/" Midna demanded when she saw the missing bridge. "/That's strange… The bridge is gone… I wonder if this is the work of those shadow creatures…/"

_I wouldn't be surprised,_ Link thought to himself glumly.

"/Ugh… What a pain! Ah well, let's look for it,/" the female went on. Link looked over his shoulder at her, his expression in his eyes demanding how exactly they were going to do that. "/Is there any place you think you've seen the bridge? I'd rather not waste time portal jumping all over Hyrule!/"

Link felt another urge to take at bite at Midna; he had never really felt aggressive towards anyone before he had met the she-imp. He had never gone farther than the Faron Woods, so how was he supposed to know where the bridge was? He hadn't even seen most of the forests; no one had. It was much too easy to get lost off the main roads and paths…

And then he remembered where he'd seen a strange wall of wood leaning against a rock face on the way to the Forest Temple.

X

The sun was just reaching the edge of the western horizon; he could easily watch its path from where he stood on the northern road to Hyrule Castle. He stood in the shade of the tree that Link had rested under earlier that day. Three others were with him, talking quietly as they stood around on the wooden bridge. They kept looking at the single tower of Hyrule Castle that they could catch glimpses of through the Twilight fog. All four were waiting for their companion; he'd gone down the eastern road a long while ago.

A low whistle reached their ears once the sun was half gone; the group looked to the east. Their companion was jogging towards them, his cloak flowing behind him.

"Did you have any luck?" the leader asked as the man joined them.

"He passed through all right, but I'm still not sure how," the slightly shorter man reported.

"He must have someone helping him from within the darkness then. We'll make camp in the vale nearby; if the eastern wall disappears, we'll know we're on the right track."

X

Traveling through the warp portals was a bit like passing through the Twilight walls. Link could feel the temperature and air pressure change as he was re-materialized onto the bridge, which Midna had transported and restored with her strange powers. As she landed firmly on his back, Link wondered how such a tiny little creature could hold so much power and magic. He reckoned part of it had to deal with the mask she wore – much like the Fused Shadow he had found in the Forest Temple.

"/Isn't the power of Twilight amazing?/" Midna asked Link, making him jump a bit. Could she read his thoughts? He still didn't know too much about her…

Ignoring Midna, he shook his wolf-head and took off at a run, following the scent of the Ordonian children up the road. After a little while they came upon a set of iron gates, shut tight and streaked with a red substance, most likely blood. On the other side of the gate, Link could see glimpses of two of the smaller Twilight creatures, the ones that wield clubs – Twilit Bulbins. He could feel Midna sitting up a little taller in her sitting spot, most likely trying to look around.

"/Huh… What are those two doing there?/" she asked quietly. Link let out a huff of air in response.

"/This is a pretty elaborate gate…/" Midna went on. "/What are they trying to keep in…Or out? I bet it'll be worth our while to dig in…/" She indicated a small, slight dip in the dirt road beneath one side of the gate. Link grunted, darting forward to dig and wiggle his way under the gate; Midna used her shadow form to dart under the gate, reappearing once Link was free of the iron, shaking off the dirt from his thick fur.

Link growled as one of the Twilit Bulbins caught sight of him and Midna; the creature snarled something to its partner as it lunged at Link, club flying. Link easily darted to the side, barking as he jumped on the creature. He snapped its neck with no problems; the beast obviously hadn't been prepared or expected such a strong attack. As its body faded into the Twilight particles floating about, Link pounced on the other beast, pinning it to the ground before snapping its neck too.

"/You're better at this than I'd thought you'd be,/" Midna admitted to Link as he finished. The Hylian-turned-wolf didn't acknowledge her words; the smell of the children was much stronger now, fresher. He turned and darted down the dirt road, following it eastward, deep into a pass with high rock walls on either side. It wasn't too long of a pass; soon Link was within the boundaries of a village. He sprinted right into a group of three of the Twilit Messengers, just like the ones from the bridge area. He quickly dispatched the monsters, drawing on Midna's power and help to take them out. Another portal opened up in the sky.

"/Looks like some sort of town…but there's no one around,/" Midna said, looking around at their surroundings. Everything was dirt, stone, or wood, and most definitely abandoned. To their left the village lay, the main road wide and cutting north. The rock walls were high here as well; the village was nestled against the mountains. Nearby there was a small wooden sign that read in Hylian, "Kakariko Village". Directly in front of Link and Midna was a good-sized building most likely a home. To their right was a large, beautiful two-level spring; floating just above where the water flowed down a small fall into the large pond that fronted the spring was a mass of light particles.

"To the hero…who was transformed into a blue-eyed beast…in the realm of shadows…in Twilight…This way…" a faint voice spoke; it was most definitely the light spirit that Link was supposed to aid. The Hylian-turned-wolf darted forward, trotting through the shallow water. The liquid felt good on his paws, worn from running so much.

X

Seia yawned, stretching where she sat, leaning against the wall at the foot of the right set of stairs of the platform in Renado's house. Renado and the children from Ordon were sitting nearby, the man telling them a story of the old Hylian Knights. Barnes was gazing out the window, watching the dark creatures wander about. Seia hummed to herself a little bit, wishing she'd thought to grab a few books on her last food run.

"Cripes! I don't see those black brutes anywhere…" Barnes said after a while. "They've gotta be hidin' somewhere, waitin' for their helpless little prey to come out! Then they'll FEAST!" One of the children (Seia thought his name was Talo) scooted closer to Renado, obviously frightened by Barnes' words.

"We are safe as long as we remain in here, child. Be at ease," Renado said, his voice calm and soothing. Seia didn't say anything, merely watching and listening. She didn't know exactly how the shaman's powers worked, but for some reason the dark beasts hadn't come inside the house.

Barnes spun around, facing the group as he raised his metal mask he wore when making bombs. "Oh yeah? I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you… They sure didn't seem impressed by my bombs! Seia's dagger had no affect whatsoever! How long do you think we can hold this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh?" he ranted. "Once they attack, it's OVER!"

"Barnes…" Seia said warningly. She knew Renado's patience would soon be tested if the bomb-maker kept up this terror talk. The man ignored her, continuing.

"Remember the lady from the general store? Just one of those things attacked her, and a whole gang from town went to save her!" He paused dramatically. "And what happened? She was already gone, and there were TWO monsters waitin'!" He fell silent for a few moments; Seia saw out of the corner of her eye the young girl (Beth?) shaking and sobbing silently.

"…You connectin' the dots? That means if we get attacked by them, then we'll be…"

"BARNES!" Renado snapped, his voice so loud it filled the spacious room; Seia winced. Renado glared at the bomb-maker, obviously enraged. Barnes gave the shaman a weird look before grunting and turning his face away. Beth began sobbing out loud, covering her face in her hands. Renado gave Barnes a meaningful look; the latter merely gave a shudder and covered his face in his metal mask, leaning against the wall and slinking to the floor.

Seia pushed herself to her feet and went to sit with the young girl, putting her arm around Beth's shoulders. She tried humming a soothing song, not sure what else to do. Her specialty wasn't comforting scared children, though she was just barely older than these.

"Look, Renado… All I mean to say is that it's risky here, too! Ain't you got some place we can hide?" Barnes asked quietly.

"There is…a cellar," Renado replied stiffly.

Seia was surprised; she hadn't realized that Barnes could move _that_ fast – not until he scrambled forward on all fours towards Renado.

"WHAAT?! You've got a CELLAR?!" the man cried. "Where's the entrance, man?"

"The entrance to the cellar is designed to open when all of the candles have been lit…" the shamant informed Barnes, who immediately snatched up a nearby burning torch from a small pile. Running forward, he lit the urn that sat in front of the tall totem that rested in the center of the room.

"…I…would not do that," Luda said gravely. Barnes started at her voice, falling forward on his face. She moved to sit next to Seia as she continued to speak. "When Father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insects like the beasts outside…" Her fingers twittered as her hands moved away from her body, describing the movement of the creatures. Barnes skittered backwards in obvious fright, crashing into the wall at the opposite end of the room, back under the window. Seia sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't cry Beth!" one of the young boys (the blonde one… Colin?) was telling the girl next to Seia. "It'll be OK!" From where he was squatting in front of her, he reached to comfort Beth. She shoved his hand away, turning her face towards Renado to sob.

"Link is coming to save us all!" Colin assured her, his voice firm. The others looked at the little blonde boy; Barnes looked confused. Obviously feeling very aware of himself, Colin looked down, mumbling, "I'm sure of it."

X

What none of them realized was that Link was already there, watching and listening to the conversation. But, of course, none of them had realized that they were merely spirits, trapped within the Twilight realm's mysterious powers. Link and Midna had managed to enter the house by reaching the roof (using some fancy footwork on Link's part with Midna's guiding hand) and falling through the covered hole, which Link assumed was to let smoke out and light in.

"/Those kids knew you'd come save them!/" Midna said once the group of spirits had grown quiet. "/What a hero!/" Link looked back over his shoulder at her, wondering how in the world could she be so _annoying_.

"/How sad, to be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all… Eee hee hee!/" the she-imp cackled. "/You are chosen by the gods, and only that keeps you from turning into a spirit, or worse, into a dark monster, when you enter Twilight. And no one knows what you have done… You may be doomed to toil in obscurity forever…/"

Link felt the distinct and familiar urge to snap at Midna – how could she keep pushing his buttons? It was like she could read his mind, pointing out and mocking any of his doubts and fears.

Midna seemed to catch the look in Link's eyes, because she told him in a somewhat nicer tone, "/You're the type to worry about everything, I can tell…but don't fret over Princess Zelda! She chose this state of affairs, after all…/" Even if Link could talk (or liked talking), he didn't know how to respond to that comment. He was worried about the Princess, sure – but he wondered why, with all her power that was given to her by the gods, she hadn't chosen to stand and fight against the King of Shadows.

"/Anyway, what's with having to light candles to get to the basement?!/" Midna wondered aloud, drawing Link from his thoughts. She was looking around at the room, wiggling a bit in her seat. "/Not very subtle, is it…/" She paused to smirk at Link and smack his sides playfully. "/So, what are you going to do now? My little lonely hero… Eee hee!/" she cackled.

The insects the one girl had spoken of were probably the ones that Link was searching for, the ones that had stolen Eldin the Light Spirit's power. The girl had spoken of lighting all the lights and going down into the cellar. Assuming that none of them would do anything about it, Link ran over to the torch that lay abandoned on the floor. Making sure the end was adequately lit, he took the torch and ran up onto the platform in the house, running alongside the walls and leaping over the gaps. He made sure the torch made contact with the mounted ones as Link passed them in his leaps.

As soon as Link lit the final wall torch, the large totem in the center of the room began to slide to the side of its own accord, revealing a decent-sized square hole in the stone and dirt floor. He heard gasps from the spirits in the room; he wondered what it would look like if the torches lit on their own and the totem moved. Sometimes he was glad that they couldn't see him – they would obviously be very frightened of this wolf form, but Midna's words still bothered him.

Link hurried forward to jump down into the hole and track down the insects so he could return the Eldin Province to normal.

X

Link really didn't like tracking down the Twilit Parasites; for one, he had to concentrate on his wolf senses to even be able to see the little monsters. They had the annoying tendency of scurrying underground or flying away, often charging themselves with dark energy that knocked Link back a good three or four feet whenever he got too close. They didn't taste very good either – Link hated have to rip them apart with his fangs to release the stolen light baubles. He had to find and kill sixteen of these things. Ugh.

Taking that into account, Link wasn't at all pleased by the various other creatures of Twilight that liked to attack him while he was tracking down the Parasites, especially the Babas and Kargaroks. They didn't taste very good either.

On top of that, Link had blown up what he had assumed to be the bomb-maker's supply shack on the cliff sides of the village. He'd chased three of the Parasites into the small building, where they had hidden in the chimney of the small oven in there. Then, like an idiot, Link lit the oven with a nearby burning torch, causing the insects to fly out, covered in fire…and subsequently set everything else on fire, starting a chain reaction that included explosions. Link and Midna had barely escaped in time before the entire building blew apart. The bugs were killed, but Link still felt rather bad about the whole thing. He silently thanked the gods that the owner of the shack would never know who was the cause of the explosion. Midna, of course, had found the situation very amusing.

After that, Link had a few more insects to track down, so he went through the northern end of the village and headed up the side road into the mountain pass. The temperature rose a little bit as he went deeper into the mountains. There he and Midna came upon the spirit of Gorons, the rock-people that Link had only heard of, but never seen. Midna aided Link in climbing up the high ledges of the pass where cracks and holes in the ground and the walls released bursts of hot steam, easily blasting Link the first time he wasn't paying attention. Link growled in frustration while Midna laughed her annoying head off in amusement.

Once Link reached the chief dwelling area of the Gorons deep within the mountains, he ran into four Twilit Messengers; this time he had to take two of them out separately before using Midna's help to take out the remaining two. Link was getting tired of fighting these things, but he reckoned there would be many more if he was to rid all of Hyrule from the Twilight.

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End file.
